Massage apparatus.



Patented, Mar. l9, l90l.

No. 670,l99.

J. G. EGKARDT, SR. MASSAGE APPARATUS. (-No Model.) (1 9 fi ed Aug. 10, men.

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Urvrrnn STATES ATENT, FFICE.

J OHANNES CARL EOKARDT, SR, OF STUTTGART, GERMANY.

MASSAGE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,199, dated March 19, 1901.

Application filed August 10, 1899. $erial No. 726,790. (No model.

To (tZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JoHANNEs CARL EoK- ARDT, Sr., a subject of the King of VViirtemberg, residing at Stuttgart, Germany, have invented a new Massage Apparatns,of which the followingis a full,clear, and exact description.

The massage hitherto employed against costiveness and constipation and exercised by hand by means of balls had the disadvantage that the patient and the massaging person are soon fatigued by the balls having a relatively great weight, so that the massage could never be effected successfully and constantly.

The object of my invention is to overcome this drawback by hanging up the massageball on a frame preferably fastened at the wall by means of an elastic piece, so as to attain a massage acting, at pleasure, more or less intensive.

In the accompanying drawings a massage apparatus of this kind is illustrated, as follows:

Figure 1 is a side view thereof. Fig. 2 shows a front view, and Fig. 3 a side view, in another position, While Figs. at and 5 represent details on an enlarged scale.

With a plate a, fixed at the wall, is connected a horizontal arm b, being provided with a stay 0. The arm I) and the stay 0 are pivotally arranged around the points I) and 0, respectively. Within the tubular arm 1) slides a rod d, the movement of which is limited by means of a slot 6 and a pin f.

The massage-ball g, partially covered with a rubber ring g, is vertically hung upon the rod (1 in the following .way: At the front end of the rod cl is fastened, by means of a screw 72., a yoke 2', to the roller of which an adjustable strap Z is connected. The lower end of the said strap is also hung around a roller m, journaled within an analogous yoke n. By means of a screw 0 and a diskp is fastened to the yoke '21 a bell-shaped casing g, to which I have fixed an elastic and yielding intermediate piece, the lower end of which is in connection with a second casing g. This elastic piece may be of any suitable kind. In the example shown the said piece is formed as a coiled spring r, the ends of which being soldered with nut-pieces s s of the casings q q, as clearly shown by Fig. 4. The nut-pieces s s and the casings q g, respectively, are held in place by means of screws 0 0, disks p p, and counter-nuts z z. The screw 0 is connected with ayoke u,between the legs of which is journaled the massage-ball g by means of a knop-pin o and a nut o in such a manner that it is able to produce a rolling motion.

The application andaction of this apparatus are as follows: Having placed the frame in a suitable height and having properly adjusted the ball 9 by turning the arm I) and shifting the rod d and the strap Z, so that the ball is a short distancesay'about forty to fifty Inillimetersov.er that part of the human body which is to be treated with the ball-as, for instance, the bellythen the apparatus is ready for commencing the massage action.

This is effected by seizing the yoke u of the 7 ball with the hand and moving it in such a manner that the ball makes at the same time a horizontally-rolling and a vertically-falling motion.

As already stated, the rolling motion is rendered possible by loosely arranging the ball around the pin '0, while the falling or the vertical up-and-down motion of the ball is effected by means of the coiled spring 1", which, if desired, could also be substituted by an elastic piece of another material, such as rubber or the like.

In the aforesaid manner I produce an effect equal to that which is attained by the massage by hand. The essential feature consists therein that in cases of costiveness and constipation or similardiseases the 'patientis enabled to eifect the massage himself without any fatigue even on a more or less intensive way, according as the elasticity of the spring is used in a greater or less degree.

When the apparatus is not used, the ball 9 may be hung on a hook w, fastened to the arm 1), as seen by Fig. 3.

By unscrewing the nut 2 and withdrawing the pin 1) the ball 9 can be exchanged, so that it can also be used for applying the massage on the back, the genuflection beneath the arms, or another part of the body. For this purpose the ball is put upon a reserve pin 00, provided with a fixed and a movable handle y and y,respectively, Fig. 5. If desired, the reserve pin 00 could also be jonrnaled within the yoke a instead of the pin 1), Fig. 2 in dotted lines, so as to attain after seizing the handles y y a constantly yielding and rolling action of the ball loosely mounted on the pin It is to be seen that the pin q; is not absolutely necessary.

The frame shown in the drawings has the advantage that an adjustment in any desired position is easily attained by means of the arm I), rod (Z, and strap Z. It is, however, to be remarked that this frame might also be substituted by another suitable one without altering the function of my apparatus.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus for massage the combination of an elastic intermediate piece con sisting of a coiled spring 7' and bearing the massage-ball by means of a yoke u, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus for massage the combination of a massage-ball hung upon a frame JOIIANNES CARL EOKARD'I, SENIOR.

Witnesses:

KARL Boson, HERMAN WAGNER. 

